Ant Lord in the Star Realm-Chapter 456 - 436: Mutant Branch of Dome Leaf Berberis

Chapter 456: Chapter 436: Mutant Branch of Dome Leaf Berberis

The former Termite Kingdom mastered over thirty varieties of pine and cedar, and cultivated them on a large scale.

After Dragon Cypress took control of the Purple Tung Insect Nation, the number of varieties increased to more than one hundred and twenty, and the planting area was further expanded.

Pine nuts have a high oil content.

Blue Soldiers and Blue Ants love to eat them, Soldier Ants and Worker Ants also don’t refuse; pine nuts, chestnuts, and acorns are all listed as the kingdom’s main dry fruit foods.

During autumn harvest season, the main task is to pick pine cones.

...

Round Cypress, Black Leaf, and Black Birch led five thousand soldier and worker ants in large, medium, and small groups, sweeping through the dense forest like an army on the hunt.

The Soldier Ants caught all the snakes, rats, toads, and insects they encountered, mixing them into the pine nut ant honey to enrich the taste and nutritional value.

"Round Cypress!"

"Black Leaf! Black Birch!"

Dragon Cypress spiraled down and landed.

The busy ant colony paused in perfect unison.

The three Assistant Kings all gathered close.

Round Cypress said, "Dragon Cypress Ant King, we’ve discovered a novel mutated Dome Leaf Berberis! Its fruit has turned purple-red."

Dome Leaf Berberis?

The fruit of Dome Leaf Berberis should be a bright red color.

It mutated into a purple-red fruit? That’s quite a mutation.

Without triggering Divine-Given, it means it’s similar to Black Peach, with some deficiencies, requiring large-scale cultivation and selection to optimize.

Dragon Cypress asked, "Where was it found?"

Black Birch hurried to answer, "Near the royal palace, by the northern ant road."

Black Leaf added, "Discovered by Giant Cypress."

Giant Cypress discovered it again?

Black Peach was also discovered by Giant Cypress.

This Giant Cypress fellow really has an eye for discoveries!

Dragon Cypress: "Have the mutated seeds been collected and preserved?"

Round Cypress: "We collected six seeds and plan to try sowing them in the spring next year."

Dragon Cypress lightly tapped its antennae, instructing: "Black Leaf, Black Birch, carry on with your tasks. Round Cypress, follow me back to have a look."

...

The White Poplar Ant King and Red Phellodendron Ant Queen of the former Termite Kingdom had collected many varieties of Poppet, mainly planted in the Central Region.

After Dragon Cypress moved in, it ordered their removal and replaced them with Silver Cypress and Sky Blue Persimmon, but did not wipe them out completely; some of each variety was kept, and together with cypresses, planted alternately along both sides of the ant roads.

In late autumn, as the weather turns cold, the Poppets enter the leaf-fall period.

Different varieties turn their leaves different colors—red, orange, yellow, and purple—adding many vivid hues to the roadways.

"Dragon Cypress Ant King, it’s this one!"

Round Cypress raised its claw and pointed. "This branch has been growing for two years; previously, no one noticed it. Giant Cypress is sensitive to all kinds of fruits..."

"Round Cypress, it was your carelessness, the branch has already forked several times."

Dragon Cypress criticized, not too harsh, not too light, staring at the branch for a careful look.

The branch also shows certain mutations.

Dome Leaf Berberis branches have prickly petioles, a type of leaf spine, normally with four to five sharp, slender spines at the base of each cluster.

This mutated branch has only two spines per cluster, weak and short.

The mutated branch also appears somewhat thinner.

Not a very superior mutation.

Seeing this, Dragon Cypress couldn’t help but tap its antennae, applying a burst of ’Flourish’ ability.

"Not bad!"

"Given the previous cases of White Poplar and Red Phellodendron, it’s clear that Poppet is a plant worth cultivating."

Dragon Cypress instructed, "Round Cypress, be diligent. Keep those six seeds carefully, and sow them promptly next spring once the weather warms."

Round Cypress: "Understood."

Dragon Cypress: "Based on my experience, the reason this mutated branch hasn’t triggered a Natural Godsend is most likely because it’s too weak—not an optimized mutation. In this case, the solution is relatively simple: large-scale cultivation, selective breeding generation after generation, choosing robust seedlings until the Divine-Given conditions are met."

Round Cypress: "Understood."

Round Cypress: "Dragon Cypress Ant King, large-scale cultivation? We might need to borrow Azure’s Bud Cultivation Technique."

Dragon Cypress: "Azure is busy enough already... For now, try ordinary seed propagation first. Confirm whether the seeds can develop properly."

Round Cypress: "Yes—"

Dragon Cypress: "You can also use traditional grafting methods, which can quickly expand the scale."

Dragon Cypress: "I’ll bring Blue Catalpa over to help you with Wood Element Ability."

Round Cypress: "Good!"

The tasks were explained clearly.

Dragon Cypress paused for a few seconds, then said concisely, "Law Divine-Given is no longer a secret. Discovering mutations isn’t something to hide either. The Natural Star Realm has 500,000 plant species, the world is vast, and opportunities are endless. No need to conceal things from Huagi Mountain and the Barley Bug Tribe—be more open."

Round Cypress: "Yes, Dragon Cypress Ant King."

Dragon Cypress: "That’s all. Round Cypress, you may go."

With the ant colony surrounding it, Round Cypress left.

Dragon Cypress gazed at the mutated branch for a while longer, then walked slowly toward the Jinhe Divine-Given Seed.

...

"Little Ant, I forgot to ask just now—I’m guessing your Wood Element Worker Ants can inherit your Wood Element Ability quite well, correct?"

"That’s right. I’ve named the Wood Element Soldier Ants and Worker Ants ’Green Soldiers’ and ’Green Ants’. Tests show that Specialized Green Soldiers aren’t great, but Specialized Green Ants can inherit one-twentieth of my Wood Element Ability."

"Then cultivate Specialized Green Ants as much as possible. Start with 100,000 in the Purple Tung Insect Nation, let me enjoy it too."

"Uh..."

You’re even more excessive than Southern Gorgon...

Dragon Cypress explained seriously, "The Flourish Ability has quite a few restrictions—one is Origin Force, the second is food. Every time Worker Ants use Flourish, they consume a lot of nutritional reserves and must eat meat to recover quickly."

Jinhe: "Aren’t you digging reservoirs to raise fish?"

Dragon Cypress: "The original plan was to dig four large reservoirs to support 20,000 medium, small, and micro Soldier and Worker Ants. Now the plan is slightly adjusted; the soldiers and workers might be replaced with mostly vegetarian Green Soldiers and Green Ants, and instead support 500 Specialized Green Ants."

Jinhe: "Five hundred? That’s not enough. Even if fifty thousand Flourish abilities were cast on me, I wouldn’t feel a thing."

Dragon Cypress: "..."

——I’m arranging this for the White Poplar Divine Seed, of course you wouldn’t feel anything.

Dragon Cypress silently grumbled in his heart.

The Jinhe Divine-Given Seed asked, puzzled, "Aren’t you in the south, not far from the ocean? Isn’t there an endless supply of fish in the sea? You also have Specialized Blue Soldiers who excel in water combat, so you can fish in the sea, refine the fish, and bring them back."

Can sea fish even be eaten?

Dragon Cypress’s antennae twitched, silent, not asking immediately.

Long ago, Dragon Cypress and Ink Orchid had visited the seaside and tasted the seawater—it was salty and bitter, instinctively giving a sense of strong toxicity.

The Ant Clan has a keen sense of smell; even the scent of the sea makes them somewhat uncomfortable.

With such water, can the fish growing there be eaten?

Can they be eaten?

Dragon Cypress reflected: all along, he had subconsciously assumed that sea fish were inedible, but had never actually tasted them, nor even thought about trying.

The words of the Jinhe Divine-Given Seed awakened Dragon Cypress.

The Jinhe Divine-Given Seed’s meaning was quite clear: sea fish are edible!

So far, the various knowledge and experiences taught by the five old trees—Huagi, Quandong, Linnan, Night Fragrance, Jinhe—have never been wrong.

Dragon Cypress replied vaguely, "I’ll give it a try... Once I reach Evolution Lord Level and the Dominating Throne is faster, then I’ll consider it."

The Jinhe Divine-Given Seed: "Makes sense. You’re at your seventh Age Period now; at your evolution rate, it’ll be most efficient to breed Green Soldiers and Green Ants in large numbers after you reach Lord-Level..."

...

Dragon Cypress rested in the Purple Tung Insect Nation for the night.

At dawn the next day,

The Dominating Throne set off, carrying Ink Orchid and Spruce.